Violent Eviction In Goiania, Brazil. Deaths Reported. IMC Reporters Arrested.

international | crime and justice | news report Thursday February 17, 2005 09:22 by cpep

Lots of urgent posts on the newswire from Brazil are collated on this thread. An English language Feature from Brazil Indymedia which gives a clear view of what took place is Here - Ed.

Slaughter in Goiânia (Br): dead, wounded, detainees (among them 2 volunteers of Indy)
by gato of Uruguay (txt original IMC Brazil) Wednesday February 16, 2005 at 07:22 PM

The military police of Goiás began this morning of Wednesday, 16/02, the mega- operation of reinstatement of property in the occupation(squat) of Sonho Real(Real Dream). They are near 2.500 men that began in a violent way the unemployment. At least 10 people were taken to the hospital and two deaths were already confirmed.

There were more than 800 detentions, inside them that of two volunteers of Indymedia that covered the occupation.

The action was carried out in spite of requested innumerables entities of human rights, goians parliamentary and sectors of the Catholic and evangelical(protestant) churches. The own governor, Marconi Perillo, guaranteed that the military police would not invade the place.

In the dawn of Monday ,Tuesday, 02/15, the military police again attacked the occupation of Real Sonho, in the Industrial Park West in Goiânia.

Besides bombs of tear gas and of moral effect, they were used by the policemen bullets of lead of thick caliber. The ocupanes responded to the aggression with their precarious defense weapons. Two residents and a policeman were hurt and assisted in the Urgences Hospital.

More than 3.000 families they are living in the occupation of Real Sonho. Several barricades were lifted in the entrances and exists an enormous determination of resisting the unemployment action.

The corporate press of Goiânia comes being quiet in front of these abuses and it has carried out an enormous campaign of criminalization of the movement for the housing. The judicial power presses openly to the Secretary of Public Security and the military police to complete the order of refund of the properties. According to the command of the police, 2.000 men are being mobilized.

We are in front of an imminent massacre. In front of this emergency situation, IMC Goiânia requests to all the entities of human rights that return its eyes toward Goiás and press to the local and federal public power to look for a peaceful exit to the conflict.